KAYSERI, Turkey — Istikbal will launch a major export effort for a line of sleep sofas into the U.S. market beginning in November according to Memduh Boydak, general manager of Merkez Celik A.S., the parent company.

In a separate development, Istikbal is also constructing its own jacquard upholstery plant in Bursa in order to supply its internal needs for fabric.

With many Turkish upholstery mills steering their production to international markets, Istikbal found itself without a reliable supplier of fabrics on a local basis, hence the need to produce its own fabrics.

The publicly held company, the largest upholstered furniture producer in Turkey, will market a specially designed line of 'Clic Clac' sleep sofas to the greater New York metropolitan market to also include New Jersey and Connecticut. The product is expected to retail for under $500, a mass market price, said Boydak.

A 50,000 square-foot warehouse in Clifton, N.J., will stockpile the merchandise for direct distribution to the furniture retailer. Istikbal is the owner of the Bellona brand and markets Germany's Hukla line in Turkey under German licensing agreements. F&FI